Chandigarh, June 27
Jan Shatabdi Express will now run seven days a week from July 1. The decision will also be applicable to the Amritsar-Delhi Jan Shatabdi.

Passengers travelling in regular trains between the city and Delhi pay Rs 107 as fare against Rs 435 paid by Shatabdi travellers.

A senior official of northern railway said the train had been extended to seven days a week after working out the operational modalities at the Chandigarh and Delhi stations.

But there will be a change in timings. “As the train has been extended to Nangal, the timings have been advanced by at least three hours due to operational reasons. For those travelling between Chandigarh and Jaipur, Garib Rath would replace the special holiday train,” a senior railway official said.

Jan Shatabdi would start from Nangal at 5 am and reach Chandigarh at 7.20 am. It will arrive in Delhi at noon. On its way back, the train would start from Delhi at 3 pm and reach Chandigarh at 7.15 pm and Nangal at 9.40 pm.

This means that Jan Shatabdi would arrive at the Chandigarh station almost an hour after the Kalka-Delhi Shatabdi Express leaves the station at 6.40 pm. The train would take the load of Shatabdi Express during the heavy rush season.

“I am not happy as the departure time of 10.40 am suited businessmen like me,” says Arvinder Singh.

As per the new schedule, Jan Shatabdi would provide a direct link between the city and Anandpur Sahib, besides catering to the tourist segment headed to Dharamsala and Manali. It will also benefit passengers from Anandpur Sahib, Morinda, Kurali, Kharar and Mohali.

Regarding Garib Rath (Chandigarh-Jaipur), the official said the train would run on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from Chandigarh and from Jaipur, on every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

The travel time from Chandigarh to New Delhi by the two Shatabdi Express trains will increase in both directions by up to 13 minutes from July 1.

The halt of the four trains has been reduced to five minutes from the current around 10 minutes each, sources said. This means around 1,000 passengers, including women and children, will have to alight or board the trains in the reduced halt of five minutes.

The travel time between Chandigarh and Kalka has, however, been reduced by up to 15 minutes due to the increase in speed.

Railway sources said the 2011/2012 Shatabdi Express, which runs with the new rake of coaches, has a seating capacity of 1,126, including 112 in the two executive coaches. The 2005/2006 Shatabdi Express has a capacity of 961, including 90 in the two executive coaches.

Changed train timings from July 1

Chandigarh, June 27
Decks have been cleared for the expansion of the Chandigarh Airport. The Army authorities have finally agreed to vacate 5.10 acres in lieu of an alternative chunk of land in Hallomajra.

The agreement between the Army authorities and the Chandigarh administration was reached at a high-level meeting here yesterday.

A demarcation of land by the Army and the UT revenue authorities has been scheduled for July 4.

This means that the pending construction would start soon. “Without the Airport Authority of India (AAI) getting possession of the land, the utility of the expansion of the terminal building would have been useless,” an AAI official said.

Officials at the airport said until the international airport was ready in the adjoining Punjab area, the existing building would serve as a domestic and international terminal and this required expansion to accommodate allied infrastructural facilities.

The finance secretary, Sanjay Kumar, said the barracks and transit camps would be constructed at the new site.

Earlier, the Army had sought that the barracks of the air maintenance battalion and transit camps be constructed at the site before the existing chunk of land, adjoining the airport, was vacated. Two MoUs had been signed with the Army and the Air Force.

The upcoming terminal on 25 acres is proposed to be state of the art with underground parking. Facilities like availability of customs, immigration, health and plant quarantine, cargo shed and transit passengers would be required. Passengers will, however, face hardship due to the ongoing construction.

Chandigarh, June 27
In a show of selflessness, an uneducated man, Hemraj, pledged his wife’s organs after she was declared “brain dead” at the PGI earlier this week.

Though organ donation isn’t rare, most people, for various reasons, including religious beliefs, wait till the patient is declared clinically dead.

In such cases, donation of only cornea, bone, skin and blood vessels can be made.

However, with Hemraj consenting for the donation when his wife Usha Rani is clinically alive, her organs, including kidneys, heart, lungs and liver, may now give a fresh lease of life to some people.

Hemraj said his wife’s condition had worsened following paralysis and gangrene in the left leg.

“Her chances of survival were almost none and even if she had survived, it would have been worse than death for her,” he said, adding that it wasn’t an easy decision for him.

Hemraj may not be aware, but his deed may save many lives as doctors now plan to use 37 of her organs for transplant.

Even doctors at the PGI admitted that it was very difficult for someone to donate organs of a brain dead person, as most believe that their patient might survive against all odds. Some even consider it against their religion, they said.

“In the past four years we have seen only two or three such cases,” said Prof Ashish Sharma of transplant surgery.

He said after natural death only a few tissues like cornea, bone, skin and blood vessels can be donated, whereas 37 organs and tissues can be donated after brain death.

Brain death usually results from a severe brain injury or haemorrhage that causes all brain activities to stop although other vital organs continue to function, some with the help of machines.

Medically and legally, a brain dead person is dead but the state can be confusing for the family members. Since a brain dead person on a ventilator seems alive with the heart still beating, family members hope that their patient’s condition will improve. Eye banks, meanwhile, get at least two pairs of eyes every month.

“Our youngest donor was very little. It was touching when his parents came forward to donate their child’s eyes. This can be an inspiration to others,” says a doctor at the eye centre.

Chandigarh, June 27
Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (CITCO) will issue show-cause notice to five of its employees whose academic certificates have been found fake during the update of their service book.

Sources in the corporation said the academic certificate of one of its employees, Suresh Kaul, GRS, was recently found fake and he tendered his resignation. The corporation then undertook a scrutiny of certificates of all its employees.

During the process, academic certificates issued by Maithli University, Bihar, of five other employees were found fake.

It was discovered that the employees had not only used their degrees for appointment but also for seeking promotion during their service.

Of the five, Rohit Bhandari used the degree at the time of appointment, while the other four — Manoj Sharma, Deepak Chibber, Rajesh Pal Sharma and Jawahar Lal — for promotion.

He said most employees whose certificates were found fake were posted at Hotel Mountview.

Officials added that subsequently the department decided to issue show-cause notice to all employees who possessed degrees of Maithli University.

They said the department had also decided to initiate action against employees who had been on ex-India leave for a long time and reportedly working abroad.

CITCO managing director Jasbir Singh Bir said during update of service book of their employees, the department found that some of the employees had submitted fake certificates.

He said one of the fake cases came to light during the process and a show-cause notice is being issued to him.

Mohali, June 27
With pasting of Kapil Dev’s life-size poster at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, the controversy between the association officials and the cricketer seemed to be over now.

Today, a new 25’ X 28’ poster of Wisden Cricketer of the Millennium, in bowling action, was put in place on the stadium’s facade.

Kapil, who was in England for the silver jubilee celebrations of World Cup triumph in 1983, was terse when contacted over phone, “I came to know about the development from a close friend from the city. It’s good and I am happy.”

Expressing happiness, Kapil’s close associates in the city, including his coach D.P. Azad and his friend Rakesh Jolly, were of the view that all is well that ends well.

“I think, now, all the misunderstandings have been cleared. Nobody can forget the achievements of Kapil, who was instrumental to change the cricket scenario in the country. I am relieved that the poster is back at its place to finish unnecessary controversy,” D.P. Azad said, maintaining that the intentions of PCA officials were definitely not bad and the issue was blown up out of proportions.

Rakesh Jolly, who was Kapil’s teammate in first-class cricket, said he came to know about the removal of the poster from media reports. “I did not concur that PCA people had intentionally removed it, but if it was so, then I would say putting the poster back at the place is a good gesture on the part of the PCA. I also talked to Kapil over the development and he also expressed happiness over it,” he said.

On May 26, when the IPL matches were in progress, Kapil’s poster was removed from the facade of the stadium. Though PCA had claimed that the rain and storm on the day was the reason, Kapil took it seriously and asked the association to return his memorabilia, including a tie, a blazer and a cap.

Chandigarh, June 27
The money spent on the renovation of the Sector 17 piazza has apparently gone down the drain, with monsoon virtually exposing the slipshod work carried out by the municipal corporation.

The piazza had been facing the problem of waterlogging in the past. The authorities carried out renovation of the area but apparently forgot to make adequate provisions for a slope at that time.

Now, the water gets accumulated in and around the piazza even after a light shower.

While the municipal corporation claims to have intensified its field operations in the city to prevent waterlogging, it has overlooked the very heart of the city, exposing the working of the municipal corporation.

According to sources in the corporation, the work on the piazza was undertaken after the authorities witnessed the problem of waterlogging there.

Armed with a budget of Rs 10 crore, the entire surface was changed and renovated. However, all that work seems to have failed to prevent the problem from surfacing.

Sources said due to compaction, the surface has suffered bends at many places. The area is occasionally swept by workers to get rid of the stagnant water.

Talking to the TNS, executive engineer Zoravar Singh said: “I am not aware of the problem but will look into the matter tomorrow. The area was renovated sometime ago, but the problem should not persist.”

Interestingly, the piazza is stone’s throw away from the municipal corporation office, but still none of the officials is aware of the problem.

Chandigarh, June 27
The visa facilitation service (VFS) of Italian Embassy has revealed that six out of 11 persons had applied through Jalandhar VFS, while the remaining five had approached Delhi VFS for visa.

The international gang involved in human trafficking took around 18 months before starting operations to send people to different countries via Italy.

DSP (crime) K.I.P. Singh said: “The gang began sending people aboard almost one and half years of conception of plan. The accused thought that beginning their operations after this period would make things easier for them. We have recovered four photocopies of passports and visa stamps.”

During interrogation, Bharat Ghai, operational director of Air Slovakia, admitted to having sent over 35 persons on stolen passports to different countries.

He also had connections at Dhaka airport and ran a travel agency there.

Along with Ghai, Kapurthala-based travel agent Gurjinder Singh, alias Lucky, alias Vicky, and some government officials of the RPO and immigration department were involved in the racket.

Lucky has been declared wanted by the crime branch.

Ghai, apart from running two aviation companies — Ghai Aviation at Rajasthan and Bipasha Aviation in Jalandhar — also ran taxis business at the Amritsar airport.

Though Ghai has denied his involvement in the theft of passports, interrogation has revealed that the names on the passports were printed after they got work permit for Italy.

Ghai is accused of helping complete immigration formalities of the clients, who were changed between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

In Italy, Gurjinder Singh’s cousins — Bhinda, Lovely and Baazigar — helped the clients complete their formalities.

The involvement of immigration officials was also revealed, following which a number of officials were suspended after an inquiry by the immigration department.

K.I.P. Singh said they were trying to contact the families of those who had travelled on stolen passports.

If they approached the police, they would be considered witnesses. Apart from the crime branch, the CBI, the IB, the external affairs ministry and the immigration department have been working on the case.

The racket was busted after two clients — Sukhwant Singh, a resident of Kapurthala, and Raj Kumar, a resident of Patiala — were arrested earlier this month. They revealed that apart from Vicky, another Jalandhar-based travel agent, had played a role in sending them to Italy.

The two were deported from Singapore last year for travelling on fake documents.

The crime branch had even arrested Neetu, wife of Gurjinder Singh, the main suspect in the theft of passports from the RPO. Lucky is still at large.

Chandigarh, June 27
Chandigarh administration is adopting the theory of ‘centralised system’ for streamlining the nationwide mid-day meal programme. For the first time, the administration has come out with a novel idea of preparing exclusive cooking sheds for preparing mid-day meal. A proposal of over Rs 2 crore has been planned for the purpose.

Around 80,000 children studying in Classes I to VIII at 104 government schools and seven government-aided schools of the city would be benefited.

The DPI (S) S.K. Setia said, "We have planned out a centralised system where the meal would be cooked in the sheds and each shed would cater to the schools located in its surroundings. It would be beneficial because we would be able to spend a good amount of money on less number of sheds. Consequently, the sheds would be made more practicable."

Administration’s architect department has finalised the drawings for the cooking sheds, each costing Rs 21,62,200 for 10 government schools, which includes Government Model Senior Secondary Schools- 47, 10, 15, 23, 26, 38-D, 40, 42-B, 44-B and Government High School-29-A.

The single-storey sheds would have a brick structure with corrugated GI sheet or aluminium sheet roofing over MS pipes. The flooring would be of kota stone. The sheds would have separate sections for cooking area, washing, wet and dry store, an office and a toilet. “These aspects have been designed keeping in mind the three factors like proper provision for gas pipe supply, hygienic sewerage system for leftover and waste disposals and proper arrangements for washing of utensils,” said S.K. Jaitley, chief engineer.

According to the rule, the government of India, under the mid-day meal scheme provides funds to the tune of Rs 60,000 per shed. The administration has mooted out a centralised pattern to make these sheds more viable, hygienic and comfortable.

Elaborating further, the DPI said, "We have proposed to the government to give us Rs 66 lakh and sent the standard designs of the cooking sheds, along with the layout plans of the schools. The government of India norms says that Rs 60,000 per school would be spent for mid-day meal programme. So, it amounts to around Rs 66 lakh for 111 schools.

Chandigarh, June 27
The legend is no more. India’s best-known Army chief, has marched into eternity. He will be remembered as a soldier and a gentleman.

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, architect of India’s “finest hour”, which saw Pakistani troops laying down arms before the Indian Army, will be remembered as a man of great charisma-- charming and witty.

A retired sapper officer, Brig Kiran Krishan, recalled his meeting with the Field Marshal in 1997.

“I ran into Sam Manekshaw while he was shopping for vegetables along with his domestic help at a bazar near Wellington. This was a short time after he had retired from the Army.

“At that time, I was doing a course at the Staff College and our group had consulted him for a study on the Bangladesh campaign. He gave very candid replies to our questionnaire. He was approachable, amiable and would go out of the way to meet people.”

In 1969, Sam was reviewing officer at the passing-out parade at the Indian Military Academy. After the parade, cadets as well as parents crowded around him. “ I had never seen a chief guest attracting so much attention,” recalled Col JS Bindra, who was an instructor at the IMA at that time. “He was spontaneous, down to earth and spoke effortlessly with cadets, parents and officers,” he said.

“He was a wonderful commander, very sharp and persuasive,” Lt Gen JL Malhotra (retd), who was a major when Sam visited his formation in Dalhousie, said. Brig Sant Singh (retd), who interacted with him during the 1971 operations, said: “Sam was a very good planner and a fearless leader. He was able to motivate troops and they were ready to do anything for him.”

In his biography on Sam Manekshaw, Lt Gen Deepinder Singh, who was his military assistant during the 1971 war and now resides in Panchkula, has mentioned that after the war, Manekshaw, while visiting military hospitals to see the injured, came across a soldier with five bullet injuries.

Patting him, he said: “Look, you've got five bullets in your body, I had seven at your age and today I am the Chief.”

Writing for a national daily recently, Col RD Singh recalled the visit of Sam Manekshaw to DAV College-10 and thereafter MCM DAV College for Girls as chief guest in the seventies. The girls were awe-struck.

During prize distribution, when a girl student was called to the dias , Manekshaw quipped that ever since his childhood, he had nursed this dream of giving away prizes to lovely girls.

He pecked her cheek. The following day, his picture kissing the girl was in all newspapers and on page 1 too.

Manekshaw was affectionately known as Sam Bahadur. This was because he belonged to the 8 Gorkha Rifles. The Army has a quick march tune — Sam Bahadur (Sam, the Brave) — composed by L.B.Gurung as a tribute to him.

The legendary Field Marshal, S H F J Manekshaw, spoke these words on the 113th anniversary of The Tribune on February 20, 1994. He was the chief guest. The Field Marshal spent 90 minutes at The Tribune office. He described the experience as an “eye opener”.

Recalling the pre-Independence period when The Tribune was published from Lahore, he stated: “ This paper was then considered seditious and was not allowed in the officers’ mess. We used to go to restaurants and hotels to read it.”

In his concluding remarks, the modest Manekshaw said: “I wonder why I have been asked to be chief guest at the function.”

He was a very good planner and a fearless leader. He was able to motivate troops and they were ready to do anything for him.

— Brig Sant Singh

He was approachable, amiable and would go out of the way to meet people.

— Brig Kiran Krishan

Chandigarh, June 27
Despite being convicted in cases of corruption, about 12 government employees are still working in the Ambala division.

Information obtained under the RTI reveals that of the 27 such persons convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 12 are still continuing with their jobs. Some are holding public dealing positions.

Cases against them had been registered by the Vigilance Bureau.

In response to similar applications filed with PIOs of various divisions of the Haryana State Vigilance Bureau, the PIO and the SP has provided a list of such employees who have been convicted on corruption charges during the past five years. Among those still continuing in service are Rishi Pal, naib-tehsildar, Faqir Chand, headmaster, Balwinder Kaur, staff nurse (the co-accused in this case have been dismissed), Ram Sharan, a headmaster who has undergone imprisonment for 15 days, Ramesh Kumar, Ishwar Singh, Kamal Kumar, Satish Kumar, Gulab Singh and Mukesh Kumar, all patwaris, and Satbir Singh, a clerk.

An assistant DTO, Rattan Chand, continues to be on suspension despite conviction by the additional sessions judge, Kurukshetra. The Supreme Court has categorically stated that employees convicted in a corruption case must be dismissed from service unless the conviction is stayed or set aside in appeal, and if such an employee is acquitted in appeal, his case should be reviewed. Ambala DC was not available for comments.

Chandigarh, June 27
Vivek (35), who works as an executive in a multinational company, has dropped the idea of owning a dream house in the city with banks hiking the rate of interest recently.

For the past one month, Vivek had been finalising plans to cut down on his domestic expenses to pay the monthly installments for the loan he desired to take for buying a new house.

But with increased interest rates he has been forced to rethink his plan to buy property here.

The story is similar with many others who had also been planning to own a house but have dropped the idea or postponed it for the time being.

The increase in interest rate has upset the budget of people seeking loans.

The recent boom in the real estate has already affected the sale of property here and the increase in rate of interest for home loan has further put brakes on the business.

On the other hand, those who have taken loan on floating interest rate will end up paying more now.

A customers, who has taken a loan from a bank, said: “I had bought this house to live in but now with the steep hike in interest rates, I am planning to sell it, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to pay monthly installments.”

A senior official of Punjab National Bank said investment in real estate business by salaried employees and young investors was rising steadily, but the increase in interest rate will impact further investment in this sector.

He said a majority of young entrepreneurs who were keen on investing in real estate business would now have to drop the idea as it would upset their economics.

A city-based property dealer said property developers would also be adversely affected as this would result in a fall in sale of flats in both ongoing and upcoming projects.

He said some retirees planning to invest in real estate would also hold back as the increased interest rates would force them to keep their money in banks to earn more from their savings.

With the Chandigarh Housing Board flats going between Rs 23 lakh and Rs 68 lakh under the assured allotment scheme, the dream of owning a house in the tricity has been dashed for many. This is what a cross-section of people had to say to Aarti Kapur on the rise in property prices:

	There should be a ban on commercialisation of residential property and nobody should be allowed to own more than one house. This is the only way to contain the rise in prices. — Harsh Durega
	With limited income, it is impossible to purchase a house even under the floor purchase system. The rising interest on loans and inflation is making it difficult to strike a balance in the family budget. — Mukand
	It has become impossible to own a house in Chandigarh. Youngsters also feel that it would not be easy for them to buy property on their own in future. — Dr S Bajwa
	This trend shows that people from outside are crazy to own a house in the city at any cost. This will only make it difficult for the locals to have a house here. — Jisiand

Zirakpur, June 27
Punjab cooperation minister and general secretary of SAD Capt Kanwaljit Singh said today that selfish and egoistic persons have no place in the heart of people.

Addressing election rallies in ward no 8 and 6, Capt Kanwaljit Singh said those persons who work for their personal benefit in life seldom find place in the hearts of people. He said the group standing as Independents in the current municipal polls resembles the above category as it had only promoted personal interest and ignored the party and the people.

He said he himself was in politics for last four decades was working as a humble servant of the people. Attacking the opposition Congress and others, he said these parties had never done a single good for the people of Zirakpur.

Chandigarh, June 27
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the practice of repudiating insurance claims, on one pretext or the other, has to come to an end. In a strongly-worded order, Justice Ranjit Singh has ruled that more than a few insurance companies were “more concerned about earning premium, and saving the liability, rather than sticking to the agreed terms”.

The companies were apparently “repudiating the claims almost universally on one pretext or the other, making the persons fight for their legal dues. This mind set on the part of the insurance company must change”. Justice Ranjit Singh has added that the companies were “relying on one technicality or the other, which of course are required to be ignored”.

The ruling came on a revision petition filed by an insurance company against Keshav Lal and others. The company had challenged the order of Gurgaon-based permanent lok adalat, directing it to pay to Keshav Lal Rs 10 lakh, along with 12 per cent per annum interest.

The liability arose out of an insurance claim filed by Keshav Lal following the death of his son, insured with the company. Taking up the matter, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: How efforts are being made by the insurance company to raise false pleas to repudiate the claims can really be noticed from the facts of the present case.

This conduct must stop and the message must go to the companies to be fair in their dealings, and not to make an attempt to cheat their clients in the manner it is usually being done by sticking to some hidden clauses while selling insurance policies. Justice Ranjit Singh added: The facts in this case would reveal the agony of a person, whose son had bought this insurance policy.

Elaborating, Justice Ranjit Singh stated: Now deceased Puneet had obtained life insurance policy on February 2, 2006, in the sum of Rs 10 lakh from the petitioner company. He was subjected to thorough medical examination by a panel of doctors before the policy was issued to him. Puneet breathed his last on December 21, 2006, due to “vomitus aspiration”. His father, respondent Keshav Lal, the nominee under the policy, applied for claim on account of the death of his son, as per the terms and conditions of the policy.

The ever-obliging insurance company repudiated the claim on July 10, 2007. It is revealed that an investigator was appointed by the petitioner-company, who reported that the insured person was a known case of bronchitis and had been undergoing treatment for this ailment for the last two to three years. This, however, was seriously disputed by the respondent-father, who maintained that insured never suffered from any ailment and the report given by the investigator is false.

Dismissing the petition with Rs 10,000 costs, Justice Ranjit Singh added: It is noticeable that no question was ever put to the insured at the time of selling policy in regard to bronchitis. Accordingly, even if the insured was suffering from bronchitis, he cannot be accused of suppressing any material facts in any deceitful way.

The late insurer was expected to answer the question which was put to him and no suppression can either be urged or noticed from the reply given by the insured to the questions addressed to him. The Judge further added: Even otherwise, in my considered opinion, this would have made difference only if the death had resulted on account of bronchitis or any such disease, which, as per the allegations was not disclosed.

Chandigarh, June 26
When it comes to paying the power bills, government departments are the biggest defaulters. In the list of defaulters for the non-payment of electricity bills to the tune of Rs 2 crore, the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat office occupies the top slot with bills worth Rs 87.37 lakh pending for the past many years.

Following its footsteps, the Punjab government’s office has electricity bill worth Rs 33.18 lakh pending against it. The municipal corporation (MC) offices located in four divisions in the city owe Rs 33.18 lakh to the department. However, it was only the office of the Central government that had minimal amount of Rs 14,000 pending. The amount pending against other government offices in the city has increased from Rs 10.39 lakh to Rs 10.51 lakh.

Though the last month’s bill issued by the department has been deposited by most of the departments, they have not bothered to deposit the old bills pending for four to five years. Sources reveal that the bills have not been deposited due to some errors in the issuance of the bills. “The UT administration is well-funded so the lack of funds is not the reason for the non-payment of bills. Many government departments have not deposited bills probably because the decision on the matter is yet to be taken by the higher authorities. In some cases, the issue is overcharging while in some malfunctioning electricity metres are being blamed for heavy bills,” said an XEN of the electricity department.

Chandigarh, June 27
Beggars in the city seem to be one step ahead of the Chandigarh police. In the recent past, the police has launched several drives to curb the increasing activity of beggars, but to not much success.

Beggars not only violate the law but also cause traffic disruption and put theirs as well as the lives of commuters in danger.

A similar drive was launched, here last week but not a single beggar was caught.

With most beggars hooked to drugs, their daily earnings are often spent on procuring opium and alcohol.

Be it a religious place, marketplace, trafficlight, office or hospital premises, these beggars are almost everywhere.

Even at traffic stops like Piccadilly rotary, Aroma, Sector 9 and 17, where the police is present round the clock, beggars go about their business even as the police remains a mute spectator.

A police officer, on the condition of anonymity, said it was difficult to for them to curb the menace in the absence of a reform facility to lodge those held for beggary.

“We have to send erring children to the juvenile home, women to Nari Niketan and men to old-age home, which doesn’t entirely serve the purpose.”

In 2006, the court convicted 10 out of the 11 persons arrested, while in 2007, the police arrested 10 persons out of whom seven were convicted.

The number of beggars on streets has gone up during the past few years. Though there is no data available on the exact number of beggars here, a rough estimate puts their number at 5,000.

Zirakpur, June 27
Gullu, the one-year-old white tiger cub at Chhat Bir Zoo, died here today. The cub was one of the major attractions for the visitors and his death is being considered as a major loss for the zoological park.

Punjab chief wild life warden M.P. Rai said Gullu died due to lung infection that led to sudden system failure of the albino tiger cub.

Gullu was born in the zoo in April last year to tigers Shanti and Guddu. The zoo authorities had celebrated Gullu's first birthday in a grand manner.

''Gullu did not show any sign of the infection and was actively playing till 7.30 am. He was regularly brought out for display, but today was his rest day,'' said Rai. However, two hours later when the zoo keepers went on a routine check-up, they found him lying motionless in his cage. Doctors were called in who declared him dead. They told the zoo authorities that the extreme humidity in the air for the past few days had triggered the sudden infection. A postmortem was carried out and later the cub was cremated.

''Everyone in the zoo is extremely sad at his death. Gullu was born here and within a few hours of his birth, his mother Shanti had abandoned him. She refused to feed him. Gullu could not develop immunity as he never got his mother's milk He was fed on dog and goat milk,'' said Rai.

Rai said Gullu had a hereditary problem ever since his birth. He would limp when unwell. These days, he was fine. His sudden death came as a shock for us,'' said Rai. His vital organs have been sent for chemical analysis to a laboratory in Chandigarh and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatpur (UP) to ascertain the exact cause of his death,'' said Rai.

Mohali, June 27
Punjab DGP N.P.S. Aulakh today released Punjabi video ''Sohniyan Punjabna'' written and sung by Dr Gurmel Chahal.

After a resounding success of his telefilm on female foeticide ''Dheeyan Maro Na'', Dr Chahal has come out with this new video with the message to stop female foeticide.

Aulakh appreciated the efforts of Dr Chahal for his novel and unique method of creating awareness against the social evil through music. He added that female foeticide was a crime against humanity. Killing the foetus in the womb just because it was a female was a punishable offence. He said the police department also had a branch for the control and prevention of crime and it would be of great help to the police if doctors like Dr Gurmel Chahal and other citizens helped the police by creating awareness. He also touched the importance of controlling the drug abuse in the state.

Chahal said in the video he had described the beauty and glamour of Punjabi girls with a message that it was a shame on us that we were killing them in the womb. He added that by disturbing the male-female balance created by nature, we would create a vacuum that would damage the very fabric of our society.

The video will be shown on various TV channels. Dr Chahal also declared that his next project would focus on the drug abuse. 

Mohali, June 27
A valedictory function of the Capacity Building Project (CBP), sponsored by the union ministry of health and family welfare and funded by World Bank, was organised at the Convention Centre of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).

G.S. Sandhu, joint secretary, department of chemicals and petrochemicals, ministry of chemical and fertilisers, New Delhi, presided over the function while Dr C.L. Kaul, former director and member of board of governors, NIPER, was the guest of honour.

Sandhu said there was a great need to continue such programmes like CBP and NIPER would be the best choice as it was fully equipped with the latest infrastructure required for the training. He added that in the current five-year plan, the ministry was going to strengthen NIPER by releasing a financial grant of Rs 169 crore, the highest ever grant released by the ministry to NIPER since its inception in the year 1991.

The ministry has already started four new institutes like NIPER in the country since last year and from the upcoming session, two more such institutes would become functional at Guwahati and Raibarelly with the help of mentor institutes in their transit campuses based on the public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

Under the Capacity Building Project, 53 training programmes were conducted in almost four and half years from January 2004 till date. A total number of 2,605 personnel were trained against the target of 2,275 participants during the programme. Apart from these training programmes, three workshops were also organised for senior drug regulatory personnel and senior government analysts. Almost 200 speakers from various parts of the country were drawn from the pharma industry, CDSCO, drug control departments and academia to deliver presentations on several important topics pertaining to the food safety and quality control and manufacturing of drugs. Hands-on training was also given to the trainees at the central lab facility and CBP lab of the institute. 

Motorbike owners, beware! Parking your vehicles in the open can be hazardous to your pocket. With international prices of crude oil crossing the $140 mark a barrel, street-smart thieves aren’t after your bikes, but petrol.

The city has witnessed a spurt in thefts of petrol. Not only bikes parked on roads being targeted, but the thieves are willing to take the risk of jumping locked gates to lay their hands on the precious oil.

Chandigarh, June 27
Students seeking admission in Panjab University can now choose from an array of new courses added this year. These new courses are under the categories of self-financing, professional and regular academic courses.

The introduction of a variety of new courses will go a long way in increasing job prospects, skill development and value addition for the students besides the academic degrees.

Not only, these courses would benefit students but would also put PU on the list of one of the top institutes and further help the students create a niche for themselves in various fields when they go outside with the PU tag.

Prof R.C. Sobti, vice-chancellor, PU, said, “we are in an era of cutthroat competition, where only the best survives. The industry needs specialised professionals to meet its needs in the global market and keeping this in view, this is a step forward.”

University is all set for new courses, including disaster management and a new department of disability studies. Besides these, the university is also planning for starting new courses in physics, pharmacy, English, psychology and geology. The university would start first of its kind BSc (hons) and MSc (hons) in physics-electronics and diploma courses in Punjabi and Hindi journalism.

The university for the first time has introduced masters in business administration (general) and business diploma courses through distance education from the coming academic session.

The courses will run under off campus management programmes at University Institute of Applied Management Sciences (UIAMS), PU.

The courses offered are new self-financing courses BSc (HS) and MSc (HS) in physics and electronics; MSc (microbial biotechnology); certificate course in landscape gardening, mushroom and spirulina cultivation of botany; certificate/diploma course in art appreciation in the department of fine arts; remedial/proficiency courses in the Department of English; popular Indian media and culture; text and context (MPhil English courses); 5-year integrated course of BE (chemical) with MBA; MPhil course in defence studies; one-year postgraduate diploma course and 3 months executive certificate course in disaster management and security; MCA programme in evening shift; masters course in stem cell and tissue engineering; MBA in department of correspondence studies; masters in disaster management; MPharmacy in drug discovery and drug development; and MPharmacy in pharmaceutical analysis and quality assurance; diploma course in manuscript logy and paleography; training programme in cytogenetically, immunological and molecular biology techniques; certificate course for dental chair-side assistant; short-term course in instrumental analysis; one-year diploma in geo-informatics and two-year masters degree in geographic information science and systems.

Chandigarh, June 12
With the much talked about Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), the city toppers scored as high as 95 per cent marks in the medical stream, 95.6 per cent in commerce, 94 per cent in non-medical and 91.4 in the arts stream, the cut off percentage for admission in different streams would definitely give sleepless nights to students.

Regardless of achieving good marks in exams, a large number of students did not get through the colleges of their choice giving a setback to their confidence as well as career.

Professional courses like BCA, BBA, BTech (IT), and engineering are becoming dream courses these days. Because of the rising popularity, these courses are experiencing a greater rush. And it finally leads to large applications for only few seats.

For instance DAV College received more than 1,000 applications for BCA, which can accommodate only 80 students. To tackle with the high demand the colleges have stick to cut-off percentages, which further leads to frustration among students.

Admissions in various colleges are about to start and again the competition will be cutthroat.

Last year students scoring ‘average’ marks failed to get admission in a college of their choice with the cut-off percentage for different courses in the city colleges touching 90 per cent.

Leading all the colleges was SD College, Sector 32, where the cut off for BCom was 94 per cent for the general category and 90 per cent for the UT pool having over 80 per cent quota.

For BBA, BCA and BSC (biotech), the cut-off was 90 per cent and above while for BSc (bio-informatics), it was 85 per cent.

At DAV College, Sector 10, the students scoring 90 and above in the general category and 87.4 per cent in the UT pool got admission to BCom.

The cut-off for BSc (biotech) was 86.5 per cent, BBA 81.2 per cent and for BCA it was 83.4 per cent.

MCM DAV College, Sector 36, had 90 per cent as the cut-off for BCom. Those scoring 80 per cent and above were able to get admission in BCA while for BSc (food science) and BSc (microbiology) the cut-off was 75 per cent.

For BSc (medical and non-medical) it was around 65 per cent.

Last year the cut-off for Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, was relatively lower.

Those scoring 80 per cent and above were able to get admission in BCom and BSc (biotech) while for BCA it was 65 to 70 per cent.

In the government colleges of the city, the cut-off was around 70 per cent for BCom, BBA and BCA courses.

The merit lists for the session are yet to be put up.

Chandigarh, June 27
After the Chandigarh Tribune reported the flawed criterion of the Panjab University for admissions in two new self-financing courses, BSc (electronics) and MSc (electronics) under the story ‘PU new courses have no details’ published on June 22, the authorities today sent a press note stating that the admission to both the courses would be merit-based.

For BSc (Hons. School) in physics and electronics, there are total 20 seats plus three for NRIs. The merit list would be prepared on the basis of aggregate marks obtained in the 10+2 examination (science stream with physics) to which marks obtained in physics would again be added. The CET marks would not be considered for this course. The last date for submission of application forms in the department is July 21 irrespective of the date of declaration of result of the qualifying examination. Interview date for BSc (HS) would be intimated later through the Panjab University website only.

The candidates are advised to visit www.puchd.ac.in. At the time of the interview, the candidates would have to bring the testimonials in original for reservations/ weightages to be claimed by them. The annual fee would be Rs 30,000 and lab fee Rs 10,000 would be charged. For NRI candidates, the annual fee would be US $ 2,000 and a lab fee of Rs 10,000 would also be charged. The candidates would have to deposit the fee at the time of admission. The students after passing BSc (HS) in physics and electronics would be eligible for admission to MSc (HS) in physics and electronics without taking an entrance test. Similarly, MSc (Hons. School) in physics and electronics has 20 seats and three for NRIs.

The merit list would be prepared on the basis of aggregate marks obtained in the BSc examination (non-medical)/BSc (HS) in physics. The OCET marks would not be considered for this course. The completed application forms for admission to this course must reach the department of physics, by July 7 irrespective of the date of declaration of result of the qualifying examination. Interview date for MSc (HS) would be July 11 at 9.30 am. At the time of the interview the candidates would have to bring the testimonials in original for reservations/ weightages to be claimed by them. The annual fee would be Rs 40,000 and lab fee of Rs 15,000 would be charged. For NRI candidates, the annual fee would be US $ 2000 and a lab fee of Rs 15,000 would also be charged. The candidates would have to deposit the fee at the time of the admission.

Chandigarh, June 27
A total of 11,217 admission forms for Class XI government schools have been received for 11,000 seats till today. The total sale of prospectus in all the three languages has been recorded as 12,206. Meanwhile, the education department has completed arrangements for the counselling for Class XI admissions, which has been scheduled for July 2 at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10.

Though today was officially the last day of submission of admission forms, the department has extended the date of submission of forms for the students whose results have not been declared as yet. Only one center, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, will be open for such students whose results are awaited.

"Though a small proportion of such students who have got ‘result later’ due to some reasons will be there but still the department has made arrangements to ensure that they get admission when their results are declared. We expect a total of around 12,500 forms for admissions," said Chanchal Singh, deputy district education officer-II.

Around 172 forms were sold today and 1,431 forms were submitted in five government schools, which were identified as the centres for the sale and submission of the admission forms. This year the number of seats have been increased by 10 per cent in each stream and in each school and also four schools in the suburbs were upgraded which will have only arts as a stream from this session.

However, the department has formed different committees headed by principals of the schools to look after the admission arrangements on July 2.

Different duties like parking, security and others have been assigned to different principals and officials of the department.

The SPIC company has undertaken the task of compiling the data of the admission seekers which would further be re-checked by the officials of the education department.

Chandigarh, June 27
The judicial courts in Punjab will not function on Monday due to general elections to the municipal councils and nagar panchayats, along with bye-elections to nagar panchayat.

In a notification issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a deputy registrar for the registrar-general added that Monday had been declared a holiday.